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Spring has arrived in Tokyo, with the chill winds (and unexpected snows) of February replaced by warmer days and cherry blossoms. Letâs raise a glass to that. For the special time of fresh starts and new beginnings, Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi has put together quite the list of exclusive spring offerings to help you celebrate in style.
Whether your drink of choice is a designer cocktail, a glass of champagne or just a nice cup of tea, the hotelâs selection of events has got you covered. Savour the wondrous Chinese cuisine of award-winning guest chef Jimmy Wei, take a tour of the hotelâs gorgeous wine cellar, or treat your taste buds to a gourmet dinner with rare ingredients from the distant Goto Islands.Â
Itâs all there waiting for you at Grand Hyatt Tokyo this spring.
Want to make your weekend an exciting one? We've rounded up the best events, festivals, parties, art exhibitions and must-see spots in Tokyo for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Looking to get out of the city for a bit? Take a day trip to one of these nearby destinations, or head to an outlet mall just outside Tokyo for some great shopping deals. If that wasn't enough, you can also stop by one of Tokyo's regular markets, like the weekly UNU Farmer's Market near Shibuya.Â
Now that winter is nearing its end, Tokyo is starting to see bursts of colourful plum and winter cherry blossoms. You can still enjoy winter activities like skating rinks and illuminations, too.
Read on to find more great things to do in Tokyo this weekend.
Note: Do check the event and venue websites for the latest updates.
With an abundance of art shows happening this season, it'll be hard to catch all of the latest installations before they disappear. Nonetheless, we've got a list of the top art exhibitions taking place in some of Tokyo's most popular museums and galleries to help you figure out where to start.
For a full day of art excursions, you should also check out Tokyo's best street art and outdoor sculptures, or fill your Instagram feed at teamLab Borderless or the recently updated teamLab Planets.
Note that some museums and galleries require making reservations in advance to prevent overcrowding at the venues.Â
RECOMMENDED: Escape the city with the best art day trips from Tokyo
When you're spending time in a city as big as Tokyo, it's never too early to start planning for the week ahead. From art exhibitions and foodie events to seasonal festivities and outdoor happenings, you can pack a lot into seven days in the capital.
Wondering where to start? We've sorted through the many events and venues in Tokyo that are still open and running during this time, plus we're keeping an eye on hottest new openings around the capital. Â
Not too many people these days spend time appreciating their refrigerators. Like so many other modern conveniences, we take our fridges and freezers for granted. And yet, if a time traveller from the Edo period (the roughly 260-year period of Japanese history that started in 1603) could visit modern Tokyo, he would be astonished by these magical chilled boxes â after getting to grips with bullet trains, skyscrapers and everybody staring at small glowing rectangles.
Prior to the invention of modern refrigeration, people in Edo preserved their food through salting, smoking, drying or pickling. But it was perhaps fermentation, a complex biological process in which beneficial microorganisms break down foods into simpler substances, that produced the most interesting results, leading to the development of many of Japanâs most iconic and delicious food items, including sake, soy sauce, miso and natto. The Edo period saw the custom of fermentation spread far and wide.
It has remained a key technique in everyday food culture ever since, but in recent years, greater awareness of the health benefits of fermented foods in Japan, along with their intriguing variety of flavours, has led to an increased focus on such ingredients, including at many shops and restaurants. Here we share four places in Tokyo where you can enjoy gastronomy tourism in the capital by learning about Edoâs unique culinary legacy of fermentation and experiencing modern cuisine that draws inspiration from this herita
Tickets are now available via out affiliate partner Klook.
Watch out for âflyingâ penguins! Located on top of the Sunshine City complex, this partially open-air oasis opened its remodelled penguin area last year. Take a stroll under a giant water tank and spot penguins overhead with Tokyoâs cityscape as the backdrop â a breathtaking view you wonât find anywhere else. Another new feature is the skywalk, housing pelicans which are especially fun to check out during feeding time.
Other popular spots include the deep blue Jellyfish Tunnel and the Sunshine Lagoon, a huge tank with a wide variety of fish. When it comes to snack time, youâll love the light blue-coloured sea salt soft serve ice cream, made from Okinawaâs âsnow saltâ.
Cookie Time was founded in Christchurch, New Zealand way back in 1983 by two brothers who are passionate about the all-popular treat. Since then, the cookie specialist has been selling cookies across the country and opened its first and only international outpost in the colourful fashion district of Harajuku in Tokyo. This store offers fresh-off-the-oven cookies, with creative and decadent flavours such as salted caramel, triple chocolate, banoffee, lemon white chocolate and more.
Cookie Time is dedicated to serving the best âpairingâ for its cookies, offering fresh milk on tap, as well as creating cookie-inspired desserts including milkshakes, cookie dough, ice cream and sâmores. The OTT Freak Shakes are a crowd-pleaser: these indulgently rich milkshakes are topped with whipped cream, candy bars, caramel sauce or melted chocolate, sprinkles and, of course, a cookie or two.
International sushi chef Jiro Onoda is hosting a series of classes focused on making rainbow sushi. Donât worry, you donât need any cooking experience to join. The classes are open to anyone interested to learn how to make sushi using traditional Edo-style techniques.
The vibrant rolls are inspired by colours of the rainbow, and Onoda only uses all-natural ingredients to create the many-hued assortments. Classes are roughly two hours long: youâll be taught customary slicing techniques before preparing seven different maki rolls and six different nigiri. There will also be a tutorial on how to make the quintessential dashimaki tamago (Japanese-style omlette).
At the end of the lesson, you can enjoy eating what youâve made with the rest of the class. The venue is located accross from the main street of Kappabashi, famous for its traditional kitchenware, so you may be inspired to look for some Japanese cooking utensils for your own kitchen after the lesson. Having worked at restaurants in Shanghai and Vancouver as well as Tokyo, Onoda is fluent in English and Mandarin. As the class will primarily be in English, you wonât have a hard time following along if youâre visiting Tokyo from overseas.Â
Click here to make a reservation. You can pay on the day with either cash or credit.Â
Though it doesn't have its own heartwarming tale like Shibuya's Hachiko, this owl statue inside Ikebukuro Station is still a popular meeting spot. The name, Ikefukuro, is a play on Ikebukuro and fukuro (owl in Japanese).
Located a few minutes from the station, this hotel boasts eight restaurants offering a variety of dining options including kaiseki (traditional Japanese multicourse dinner), teppanyaki and European cuisines. They offer free wi-fi and a direct limousine bus service from Haneda and Narita airports.
If you're on a budget or a diet but love pizza, then stop here for a quick meal. The lunch sets start from ¥650 and include a (large) pizza slice with organic salad and a drink.
If you come out of the west exit of Ebisu Station and stay off the main road, youâll discover a network of backstreets offering an array of restaurants serving different cuisines. It can be a difficult choice if youâre not sure what youâre in the mood for. But should a craving for Thai food hit you, youâre in luck. Gapao Shokudo, which also has branches in Shibuya and Omotesando, beckons from the first floor on one street corner with its bright red signage and colourful window lights. Inside, itâs just as festive, with white-washed tabletops, tropical looking plants dotted around, and friendly staff ready to seat you. We visited on a week night and it was busy enough to feel vibey but we didnât have to queue to get a counter spot. If you prefer a table, you might need to reserve.Â
The menu features a wealth of Thai dishes and you can choose the spice level. For those who prefer no chilli at all, weâd recommend the Gana Massaman Curry Chicken with Coconut Milk (Â¥980, pictured above), ordered with a side of rice. The flavouring was actually on the sweet side (delicious!) and although the portion size looks small, it was packed with filling chicken, potato and veggies and we ended up struggling to finish it. For those who love the burn, go for the Gang Ped Gung Red Curry Prawn with Coconut (Â¥1.080). This is probably not the best Thai food you'll have in Tokyo, but the prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is fun and casual, and it'll still hit the spot.
A few times a year, the breathtaking Kiyozumi-dera Temple that overlooks Kyoto city hosts special nighttime visits, where the templeâs structures and surrounding foliage are illuminated for a mesmerising display. The Buddhist temple, which is over 1,200 years old, is part of the Unesco World Heritage Site known collectively as the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
The temple's seasonal light-up events occur every spring, summer and autumn. The annual autumn illumination in 2025 is scheduled to run for just 16 days from November 22 to December 7. While Kiyomizu-dera usually opens from 6am and closes at 6pm, it will extend its hours until 9.30pm (last entry 9pm) for the duration of the event, so visitors will have more time to appreciate the beauty of the temple and its scenery after dark.Â
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In addition to the illumination across the temple grounds and Jojuin garden, Kiyozumi-dera will also shine a bright blue beam into the night sky to symbolise the compassion of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy enshrined at the temple.Â
There is a general admission fee of Â¥500 for adults and Â¥200 for junior high and elementary school students.Â
For more autumn leaves illuminations at Kyoto temples and gardens, read our latest feature here. And if youâre looking for unique autumn experiences in Kyoto, check out this momiji tunnel train and this gorgeous autumn
Tokyoâs summer festival season is in full swing, and this upcoming long weekend perfectly encapsulates the cityâs vibrant energy. What makes the Marine Day weekend especially exciting is the variety of traditional events on offer, including a number of Bon Odori festivities happening across the city.
Bon Odori is a lively summer dance held during the Obon period to honour ancestors â a tradition thatâs been around for over 500 years. People gather around a yagura stage, dancing in circles to the rhythm of the music. Itâs a festive, feel-good way to spend a summer night â and the perfect chance to show off your best dance moves. Here are three Bon Odori festivals you can join this weekend.
Photo: Shota Nagao
Sendagaya Bon Odori Festival, July 18-19
To kick things off, stop by the Sendagaya Bon Odori Festival taking place at Hato no Mori Hachiman Shrine. You can expect food stalls set up by local businesses, as well as games and activities for children. Plus, of course, the requisite communal dancing.Â
Not familiar with the moves? No worries. Drop by around 4pm to learn the choreography, and you can join in one of the Bon Odori dances happening at 5.30pm, 7pm and 7.50pm (5.30pm, 6.45pm and 8pm on Saturday).
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Daibon, July 19
Get ready to get your groove on at Daibon, a modern rendition of the traditional Bon Odori festival held at Hachiman Shrine in Nakano wardâs Yamatocho. Here, the customary Bon Odori festivities are fused with a line-up of DJs and contempor